The invention relates to the arrangement of a pad retaining clip on the brake caliper of a disk brake and to a brake pad for a disk brake.
The arrangement of a pad retaining clip on the brake caliper of a disk brake is known, for example, from DE 10 2006 039 298 B3. Here, the pad retaining clip serves to prestress brake pads in order to avoid rattling noise, for example. The brake pads are arranged in the brake caliper and, in each case, have a pad retaining spring which is fastened to a pad carrier plate and by which, in correspondence with the pad retaining clip, the brake pads are held in the brake caliper under prestress.
According to WO 2007/068464 A1, a pad retaining spring of this type is fastened by way of a cover to the pad carrier plate. To be precise, it is fastened in such a way that the pad retaining spring can be moved in the radial direction. Here, the pad retaining clip is supported on the cover which is connected to the pad retaining spring.
The previously known proposals for fastening the pad retaining clip to the brake caliper are not suitable in the desired way, however, to correspond to the requirements for simple installation and removal of the brake pads, in particular during a brake pad change.
It is thus proposed, for example, in DE 86 15 015 U1 to firstly hold the pad retaining clip on the brake caliper in a positively locking manner and, secondly, to screw it to the brake caliper. This type of fastening of the pad retaining clip is naturally possible only with considerable outlay, both in terms of the preparation of corresponding measures, such as the introduction of a threaded bore into the brake caliper, and also with regard to the assembling and dismantling. Here, the constricted spatial conditions of an assembled disk brake are to be taken into consideration which make the assembly work additionally difficult.
However, the structural solutions, in which the use of connecting means is dispensed with and which instead propose different elements, in particular positively locking elements, are also not suitable for contributing to an optimization of the assembly work.
The invention is based on the object of developing an arrangement and a pad retaining clip of the above-mentioned type in such a way that simple and inexpensive assembly and removal of brake pads is possible in order to minimize the manufacturing costs of the measures which are necessary for fastening the pad retaining clip.
This and other objects are achieved by way of an arrangement of a pad retaining clip on the brake caliper of a disk brake. Two brake pads which can be pressed onto a brake disk on both sides, and which each have a pad carrier plate and a friction pad fastened thereto, and arranged in the brake caliper. The pad retaining clip is held on the brake caliper and spans an assembly opening. The pad retaining clip is fastened to a positively locking element of at least one brake pad such that it is secured against being displaced.
In comparison with an arrangement according to the prior art, the novel arrangement affords considerable advantages, in particular with regard to cost minimization which results firstly from the structurally simple construction of the arrangement or the pad retaining clip and the associated inexpensive production, and secondly from the substantially simplified handling in comparison with the prior art with regard to assembly and dismantling of the pad retaining clip and therefore of the brake pads.
Here, the novel arrangement is distinguished by a particular robustness and by reliable fastening of the pad retaining clip to the brake caliper which is absolutely reliable even in the case of the greatest possible loading during driving operation of the preferably commercial vehicle.
In order to realize the positively locking connection, the pad retaining clip has a window opening, into which a positively locking element of the brake pad engages in such a way that the pad retaining clip is secured against being displaced.
In one design variant of the invention, the pad retaining clip is latched to the pad retaining spring, to which end said pad retaining spring has correspondingly formed latching elements.
This is likewise provided in another embodiment of the brake pad, in which the pad retaining spring has a cover which is connected to it and onto which the latching element, which is in engagement with the pad retaining clip, is formed.
If the pad retaining spring is dispensed with, as is likewise known from the prior art, but also if the pad retaining spring is used, the positively locking element can be fastened to the pad carrier plate or can be configured in one piece with the latter.
According to one advantageous development of the invention, positively locking elements are likewise provided on the brake caliper, into which positively locking elements the pad retaining clip engages in an end position. The positively locking elements are arranged in the edge regions of an assembly opening of the brake caliper which lie opposite one another and are spanned by the pad retaining clip. In this way, additional securing of the pad retaining clip as it were in all directions is achieved.
Since the brake caliper is usually composed of cast iron, the positively locking elements of the brake caliper can be formed integrally on it, with the result that this can take place practically in a cost-neutral manner.
Cost-neutral production of the pad retaining clip is likewise possible, since it is produced as a sheet metal shaped part by way of punching, just like the pad retaining spring or the cover which has positively locking elements which correspond with the pad retaining clip in one design variant.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the positively locking elements can consist of at least one latching tongue which passes through a window opening of the retaining clip and bears against a wall of the window opening in such a way that a displacement of the retaining clip in the axial direction is ruled out.
The latching tongue is formed on the pad retaining spring, which is configured as a leaf spring, or on the cover, which makes simple and extremely inexpensive production possible. A latching tongue of this type can also be attached to the pad carrier plate or can be configured in one piece with the latter.
Two latching tongues are preferably provided which bear against the walls of the window opening which lie opposite one another in the longitudinal axial direction of the retaining clip. The two latching tongues run parallel to and at a spacing from one another and are elastically deformable for plugging into or for pressing out of the window opening.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.